Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Family

Why does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints send forth its young men and young women, copies of The Book of Mormon in hand, black badges shining, preaching the gospel to all the world?

Indeed, we have missionaries not only here in the Unites States, but throughout the globe, including Brazil, Chile, Russia, Germany, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, and many parts of Africa. Some missionaries, if not all, experience some pretty scary things -- especially those who serve in foreign lands.

There has to be a reason behind it. Why do these young people stop their school, work, and general good time in order to wake up at 6:30 a.m. every morning, study scriptures, and talk to people they have never met about a topic that is being increasingly thrust away from the public plane of conversation, even religion?

This is my family, minus my little brother. Sorry, Elder Neilson!
Some may claim for money.Or perhaps fame? There are many reasons an organization may endeavor to recruit others to their cause. I would argue, however, that the Church's reason for doing so lies in a simple but critically important unit: Family.

The family is ordained of God. That is what we teach in our church. God would not have placed us in these small, intimate social groups if they did not have a purpose. We believe that that purpose is so we can learn the gospel of Jesus Christ and how to apply His teachings into our own lives. We can learn correct principles in a loving environment. Of course, no family is perfect. And some familial environments are even detrimental to our learning. But if we strive to establish our family on Christ's teachings, we can be assured that our family will grow, learn, and have that eternal perspective that helps us to focus our priorities.

Perhaps you are wondering what I mean when I say "eternal perspective." That eternal perspective is another reason why God has put us into families. We all lived with our Heavenly Father before we were born, as spirits. He is the literal Father of everyone's spirit here on earth. Therefore, all humanity are brothers and sisters. And just as we were one huge family in heaven before we were born, and just as we are born into family units here on earth, we have the potential to perpetuate our families into the eternities.

That is the beauty of our Heavenly Father's plan. This life is not only to help us learn, grow, and progress individually, but to do so together, as families. And not just as individuals and families in this life, but in the life to come.

However, we have to do our part for God to trust us with that eternal and marvelous responsibility.

This Sister is out of time. More on that later.

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